I love a good road trip as much as the next person, but a vacation focused on cars is hardly my idea of a good time. And I bet when you think of your next great destination to visit, your mind doesn’t go to a highway or suburban maze of asphalt.
The alternatives seem obvious: The cobblestone streets of Paris, the brick alleyways of Boston or Philadelphia, San Antonio’s “Riverwalk,” a bustling market in Marrakesh, New Orleans’ “French Quarter” and the Mall in our nation’s capital. The list goes on.
All of those places benefit from being heavily trafficked by people on foot or bike (and, in many cases, good public transportation).
I was lucky enough to host a few out of towners over the recent holiday weekend, and at the center of their time here in Northeast Ohio were walks and rides around the region. Some of those were at my behest, and others were experiences they requested.
A food tour of Gordon Square, a shopping trip through the West Side Market, a quiet stroll through University Circle and Lakeview Cemetery and rides through our wonderful Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
One particular topic of conversation and point of interest among the visitors was the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which spans the northern end of the Cuyahoga River and connects Ohio City with Downtown Cleveland. The conversation came to this piece of infrastructure because the bridge’s old subway level was opened to visitors a few weeks back. The last time the subway level was opened, in 2019, it attracted more than 17,000 visitors.
That really had me thinking about how transformative that bridge could be, and how much of an anchor it could be for visitors to Northeast Ohio. We could connect one of Northeast Ohio’s quickest growing neighborhoods to our urban core though a unique “Lowline” park, as stated by Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne. The pedestrian-and-bikes-only bridge level would also connect a soon-to-be riverfront park with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park via the Towpath Trail.
In addition to my duties as tour guide over the weekend, I was lucky enough to participate on a guided ride through portions of the Towpath Trail near downtown Akron last Friday.
Several employees from Ideastream Public Media were invited by the Knight Foundation and yhe Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition to ride portions of the Towpath Trail and see some of the new work happening in Summit County.
We rode from Downtown Akron, past improvements happening at Lock 3, next to new volleyball courts that are being run by Summit County Sports and Social and around Summit Lake. The redesign of Summit Lake will be an amazing asset for residents of the region, and it's just one project that is aimed at righting historic wrongs and connecting communities of color that have traditionally suffered from disinvestment and redlining.
The ride in Akron was a real eye-opener for someone like me who is born and raised in Cleveland and has experienced very little of the pedestrian and cyclist offerings of Akron and Summit County.
These spaces are all about people, dollars and health.
Many of us talk about how important green spaces became during the pandemic. Now there’s data that backs that up. In addition to the health benefits of green spaces, it’s clear that trails offer immense opportunities for economic growth.
As tour guide I saw it first hand, whether it was someone buying snacks at the West Side Market or a Cleveland t-shirt from a local clothing store, or maybe my own economic stimulus of a tasty brew at one of the breweries next to the Towpath Trail.
On foot or on two wheels, it seems like a win-win to me.
